Policies & Procedures

Policies & Procedures for TC IRB

Federal Regulations & Ethical Foundations

TC IRB policies are guided by federal regulations and ethical principles that protect the rights and welfare of human research participants. Researchers are encouraged to review the following resources:

Teachers College's agreement with the Federal Government that allows it to conduct research involving human subjects is known as a Federal Wide Assurance (FWA). In that agreement, Teachers College agrees to abide by the Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) regulations for the protection of human research subjects, 45 CFR Part 46. Those regulations are based largely on the Belmont Report, a statement of ethical principles in human subjects protections published in 1979. The terms of the FWA at Teachers College apply to all research conducted by its faculty, staff and students, funded or unfunded. This includes doctoral research.

The FWA also requires Teachers College to provide comprehensive, ongoing training in human subjects protections for all investigators and research staff. This training is currently available online through CITI, provided by the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative. In order to register for the training, go to the CITI website. You can see more information about this by visiting our Training & Certification page.

The federal agency responsible for oversight of human subjects research is the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP). Its website contains a wealth of materials covering the full spectrum of issues in human subjects protections, including the DHHS regulations known as 45 CFR Part 46, and the Belmont Report.

The federal Office of Research Integrity (ORI) oversees the responsible conduct of research at institutions that receive federal funding.

Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) is an organization of researchers, ethicists, and IRB professionals committed to improving human subjects' protections and all other aspects of the responsible conduct of research. They hold ongoing conferences and workshops and are an important resource to the research community.

Investigators who will be collecting private, identifiable health information (PHI) as part of their research are subject to the privacy requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Click here for more information on HIPAA.

Certain projects that gather highly sensitive data may wish to obtain a federal Certificate of Confidentiality (COC) for their project. Among other benefits, a COC prevents investigators, research teams, and/or data from being subpoenaed. Thus, a COC is most appropriate for projects where a breach of confidentiality could lead to legal difficulties for a subject. A project need not be federally funded to be awarded a COC.

TC IRB Statement of Compliance

Teachers College maintains a Federal Wide Assurance (FWA) with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), ensuring that all research conducted by TC faculty, staff, and students adhere to federal regulations (45 CFR 46). This agreement applies to all human subjects research conducted at TC, whether funded or unfunded, including doctoral research.

Our compliance commitments include:

Ensuring comprehensive, ongoing training in human subjects protections.
Requiring CITI Training for all investigators and research staff.
Adhering to institutional and federal requirements for ethical research conduct.

Download our Statement of Compliance.

TC IRB Policies & Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Accessing TC IRB SOPs

TC IRB’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) provide detailed guidance on the IRB review process, including submission procedures, review timelines, and investigator responsibilities.

Please click the link to download TC IRB's Standard Operating Procedures*.

*Disclaimer: The 2019 IRB SOP is currently under review, and updated versions will be available soon. Please contact the IRB at irb@tc.edu for any clarifications or questions regarding current procedures.

Office Hours & Consultations

Researchers can schedule an appointment with an IRB representative by visiting our IRB Office Hours page.

Submit Inquiries via the AskIRB Ticketing System

For general inquiries, submission issues, or guidance on IRB protocols, researchers can submit a ticket through our AskIRB Ticketing System.